Hugo Broos Snubs Bafana Bafana As He Names Favourite Team to Win AFCON 2025
- Hugo Broos has shared his thoughts on the team he believes are strong contenders to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- The Belgian tactician snubbed Bafana Bafana while naming the strong contenders, claiming that placing the favourite tag on his team might be risky
- The Bafana Bafana head coach's prediction sparked different reactions from South African football fans on social media
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named his favourite team to win the Africa Cup of Nations this year, describing the upcoming tournament as more challenging than the last edition in Ivory Coast.
Source: Getty Images
The 2025 tournament gets underway on Sunday, December 21, 2025, with hosts Morocco set to face Comoros in the opening match.
Broos and his men will start their campaign against the Palanca Negras of Angola on Monday, December 22, 2025, and will battle seven-time champions Egypt on Boxing Day before coming up against Zimbabwe next Monday.
Broos names favourite to win AFCON 2025
Broos cautioned against labelling any team as a favourite, describing such tags as risky, during his matchday-minus-one press briefing on Sunday. According to him, that kind of assessment is better left to fans and the media, while his own focus is on preparing for what he expects to be a significantly more demanding AFCON than the previous edition in Ivory Coast.
DON'T MISS IT: Stay Away From Fake News With Our Short, Free Fact-Checking Course. Join And Get Certified!
The Belgian coach explained that the upcoming tournament will be tougher because the traditional heavyweights are unlikely to repeat the errors that led to their early exits last time. He pointed to nations such as Egypt, Cameroon, Senegal, and Morocco, noting that many of the continent’s top teams failed to progress or were eliminated prematurely at the last AFCON — a scenario he does not expect to see again.
He believes those sides have learned from that experience, which should result in most of the big teams advancing beyond the group stage. As a result, he anticipates a far more competitive knockout phase, making the path to the title extremely challenging.
For that reason, the former Cameroon national team coach ruled out calling South Africa a favourite at this stage. If any team deserves that label, he suggested it might be Morocco, citing their quality and the advantage of playing on home soil. Even so, he stressed that the overall competition will be fiercely contested.
Source: Getty Images
He added that a clearer picture will only emerge once the group stage is completed, at which point opinions may shift. Until then, he maintained that South Africa should not be regarded as one of the tournament favourites.
Here is what fans are saying about Broos' prediction on Morocco being the favourite to win the 2025 AFCON.
EL Espolon wrote:
"Morocco is nothing without referees."
Mgombane Makhosinikk commented:
"Without a doubt. No matter where it was being played."
Vin_Survivor shared:
"See...even Madala has applied football sense. Stop with these high hopes of Bafana² doing well, let alone winning this AFCON. Group stages prediction: D/L.... L...D/W."
Malindi Malindi implied:
"I don't think Morocco will win, I bet Senegal, outside chances are South Africa, Ivory Coast and Algeria."
Chiwah_R said:
"This one is ours, it's coming home. In madala I believe💯"
Broos shares Bafana's AFCON target
Briefly News also reported that Broos has shared Bafana Bafana's target at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this December.
The former Cameroon national team coach set the record straight after his team was put under pressure to win the tournament this year.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
